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With more and more people relying on wood to heat their homes, they are wanting to learn more about the inner workings of wood. With one of the main questions being how much does a cord of wood weigh?
A big part of the reason people want to know this is usually due to how many trips will it take to move a cord of wood. Or if where they plan on storing their wood will hold the weight of the cord, which is a genuine concern since cords of wood are heavy.
So it’s worth learning not only what affects the weight of the wood but also how to keep the weight down.
How Do You Measure Firewood?
This is something that if you plan on using firewood, you should learn. The correct terms for how you measure firewood is in cords, so one or two cords of wood, but there is also a face cord which is measured differently. With a normal cord of wood, it is 4 feet high, 8 feet wide, and 4 feet 
deep which will be 128 cubic feet.
Then you have the other measurement which is called a face cord. A face cord of wood is a single stack that is 4 feet high and 8 feet wide, and roughly between 12 to 18 inches deep.
So as you can tell it is stacked very differently compared to the normal cord of wood, making it generally weigh a lot less. So these are the two units of measurement that you need to keep in mind when measuring wood.
How Much Does A Cord Of Wood Weigh?
How Heavy Is A Cord Of Wood?
This is one of the more difficult questions to answer since there is never an exact weight with many factors, that need to be added in. For example, something like a Basswood (linden) will roughly be about 1990 lbs when dry in a cord, but if it is still green it can weigh up to 4410 lbs.
So while you can’t get an exact number, you can get a bit of an idea which will help in your decision making. This is definitely frustrating since I can’t just tell you a number, so if you’re planning to move a cord of wood in your pick up. I would highly recommend doing it on multiple trips.
While I can’t give you an exact number I do have estimations which are as close to an average on some of the more popular firewood in the USA. I hope I will be able to help you with your search, but if I haven’t listed one that you use. Feel free to leave a comment and I might be able to help or point you in the direction of someone who does.
How Much Does A Cord Of Oak Wood Weigh?
Oak is one of the most common types of wood in the world and not just the USA. This is for good reason, it is a very versatile wood that burns well and not to difficult to split. It also has quite a nice smell when it burns, if that is important to you. There are four types that most people will use which are Bur, Red, Pin, and White oak.
The Estimations For Oak Wood
- Bur Oak – When it is still green it roughly weighs around 4970 lbs, which will definitely mean several trips in your pick up. When it is dry it roughly weighs around 3770 lbs, which again means several trips which you will notice is a common theme with this.
- Red And Pin Oak – If you’re wondering why this is together, it is because they belong in the same group. They’re actually the lightest out of the oaks on this list coming in at 4890lbs when green. Then when it has been dried out properly, it roughly weighs about 3530lbs. So yet again the poor pick up will be making more trips.
- White Oak – White oak is easily the heaviest of the oaks, weighing roughly 500lbs more than the Bur oak. It weighs roughly about 5580lbs when it is green, which will make short work out of what you’re trying to carry it with. Even when it is dry it still will weigh over 4000lbs, being roughly around 4210lbs.
My Thoughts On Oak
While I really like oak in general and is a wood I commonly use in my own home. It can be a pain when it comes to transporting a lot of it, especially when my pick up will only allow me to carry roughly 2000lbs which is on the higher side than most peoples. But apart from the weight, oak is a great type of wood to use and highly recommend.
How Much Does A Cord Of Pine Wood Weigh?
While I personally not a big fan of using Pinewood to burn since it is a softwood that doesn’t burn as well as a hardwood like the Oaks above. It is still a common type of wood that is used for burning in the USA, so I had to include it on this list to help as many people as possible.
There 
are three types of pine that I have been asked about the most, and they are. Eastern White, Jack, and Ponderosa all weigh about the same when dry which surprised me.
The Estimations For Pine Wood
- Eastern White Pine – The Eastern White Pine is the baby of the group if you can call over 2000lbs a baby! When it is green it roughly weighs around 2790lbs which is the lightest on this entire list. When it’s dry it sheds roughly 500lbs, weighing around 2255lbs overall. Thankfully this will cut how many trips you will have to do!
- Jack Pine – We are back over the 3000lbs mark with this wood, with it being around 3205lbs from my estimations. It does shed a fair bit of weight when it has been dried out fully, coming close to the 2493lb mark.
- Ponderosa Pine – The thing with Ponderosa Pine is that it holds more water than most Pinewood. So it weighs more than the others when wet, but when dry it is slightly lighter than the Jack. Being roughly around 3610 lbs when green, and 2340lbs when dry. This is a big surprise to me but does make life a little easier when it comes to transporting dry.
My Thoughts On Pine
As I stated Pine isn’t for me, but I understand why people use it. It is a very common wood, that is lighter than other woods. This also makes it easier to split, but it doesn’t burn as well. It can be cheaper as well because of it being a softwood, so if you’re on a budget and can’t cut it yourself. I can get why people need to use pine.
How Much Do The More Common Woods Weigh In A Cord?
While I could list quite a few more types of wood, I feel focusing on the more common will allow me to help more people, without being completely overwhelming. This may sound strange to some, but I have met many beginners who have said to much info is overwhelming. I like to try 
and keep as many people in mind as possible.
So on this list, I will go over the more common types such as Maple, Cherry, Birch, Elm, Hickory, and Douglas Fir. While the first few are a bit more understandable, the Douglas Fir will catch your eye if you know a thing of too about wood.
It’s a lot like pine as in it’s a softwood so it doesn’t burn as well as the others. But it still is quite a popular wood to use, so I wanted to include it on the list.
The Estimations For The More Common Types Of Wood
- Silver Maple – Silver Maple is a very good wood especially when it comes to burning, it has a low amount of smoke, but decent heat. But in terms of weight, it isn’t too bad really, roughly weighing about 3910 lbs when green. It also holds a lot of water when it’s green and drops quite a bit when dried, coming in close to 2760lbs.
- Other Maple – I made Silver separately since it is a bit different from other maples, while the others are quite similar so they’re together. When they are green they weigh an impressive 4690lbs, and when dried out it is closer to 3685lbs.
- Black Cherry – Blach Cherry trees are great for there coals when burning making them quite popular as well. When it comes to its unseasoned weight, it roughly comes in at 3700lbs. After you dry it, it loses roughly 700lbs coming in at 2930lbs.
- Paper Birch – Paper Birch is the more popular type of Birch tree for people to burn, because it has some decent heat, and smells quite nice. But in terms of weight, it’s pretty heavy, weighing 4315lbs when green. Then after it has been seasoned properly it comes in around the 3000lbs mark.
- Red Elm – While people burn American, and Siberian Elm. I believe the Red is more common and the better wood to burn if you are choosing an Elm. It’s pretty heavy wood when green, which is about 4805lbs. Then drops well over 1500lbs when you dry it out, coming in at 3120lbs.
- Bitternut Hickory – Hickory is a heavy hardwood, which makes it difficult to split, but makes it excellent to burn. With the Bitternut coming in at 5040lbs when green, and roughly 3840lbs when dry.
- Shagbark Hickory – The Shagbark Hickory is just slightly heavier than its Bitternut counterpart, coming in roughly at 5110lbs when green. After you have dried it out it comes down quite a bit as well, being closer to 3957lbs.
- Douglas Fir – As I said before Douglas Fir is a softwood, so it’s not the best for burning. Which you will notice it is similar to the Pines in weight. With a green cord of Douglas Fir being around 3324lbs, and after drying out being 2975lbs.
My Thoughts On The The Common Types Of Wood
Out of the common types of wood I chose there are some pretty obvious similarities between them. If you know about burning wood, you will know that hardwood is better for burning. But since it’s harder and denser means it weighs more.
So out of the more common types there I find it very hard to pass up the Hickory. It’s a reliable hardwood, that may difficult to split if you don’t have the right tools.
How Much Does A Face Cord Of Wood Weigh?
The biggest difference between a face cord and a full cord is that a full cord is several logs deep and a face cord is only a single log depth. A face cords logs are generally around 16 to 20-inches deep by 8-foot long and 4-foot high and are often sold under the name of 1/3 cord.
Even with there being an actual measurement to start with, working out just how much a face cord weighs is still difficult to answer. The variables as with everything else with wood will affect what the weight will be so getting a proper answer is difficult.
Overall Weight?
While I can’t give exact numbers on what your 1/3 cord of wood will weigh. Something that I do have an estimation is a green pin oak that was measured and weighed that came in around 2150lbs. While this won’t be exact for anyone it might help some who have had this situation before.
How Much Does A Rick Of Wood Weigh?
As with everything that involves wood and measuring it’s difficult to get an accurate reading since there are so many variables. Learning what a rick of wood is required if you want to learn what the weight of it is.
What Is A Rick Of Wood?
A rick of wood is a measurement used when it comes to describing an amount of wood. When it comes to how they measure it can be a little different since there are two main measurements and the third is up to the size of the logs you have.
The main measurements of a rick of wood are 4-foot high by 8-feet long. The last measurement comes from the length of the logs themselves which is what makes measuring and weighing so difficult. If the logs are something like 16-inches long it would end up being roughly 1/3 of your standard cord of wood.
Then if you went with logs that were 24-inches long then that would be around your usual half cord of wood. So you can see why this is confusing for people who haven’t spent a lot of time in the firewood industry.
Overall Weight?
Sadly there are too many factors that can go into a rick of wood that makes getting an accurate weight. With everything I’ve mentioned, I still haven’t touched on the moisture in the wood that can affect the wood greatly as well. Unfortunately, I can’t give you an answer to this question since there are too many variables.
How Much Does A Cord Of Wood Cost?
This is another one of those questions that is difficult to answer since it varies so much, I know people online will say generally between $120 to $200. But I don’t think you can say that with such certainty and think the only way to find out how much a cord of wood costs is by actually 
going out and checking places. The best I can do is offer a few tips to try and get the best prices, trying to ensure you don’t get ripped off.
If you have a friend who also uses wood for heating etc, they’re generally a good source of information on where to buy cords from. If you go to buy a cord of wood I highly recommend seeing it for yourself in person, and not just trust a photo.
There is no guarantee in the quality of the wood from a photo. Some places online will sell you firewood and deliver it for you, but this will cost more since you will have to pay a delivery fee, etc.
You should always make sure to shop around, this should go without saying but you never know. Sometimes the brain does forget the simple things. One thing that is often overlooked when buying a cord of wood, is people don’t check if it will fit in there appliance. This is a really annoying issue since it means you’ll have to split the wood again.
I would highly recommend not buying wood in the winter since that is when it is the most expensive. I would recommend buying it earlier and stacking it yourself to let it season more.
Remember if you’re storing it outside you should have it covered by a tarp. Try and make sure the wood is clean when you buy it. Having it be covered in mud is something you just don’t want. While a lot of these are commonsense it is always worth remembering and double-checking.
What Can Affect The Weight Of Wood
If you’ve made it this far then you will notice there is a lot of variables that go into weighing and measuring wood without there every being an exact number. Learning what these variables are might help with understanding why getting an accurate weight is so difficult.
Moisture Weighs More Then You Think!
One thing a lot of people don’t realize is just how much weight moisture in a log will add to the weight. It’s also a big part of the reason you don’t try to split greenwood as well. Moisture is one of the biggest variables in determining just how much a cord of wood will weigh.
If the wood has been properly seasoned the weight can be reduced by enormous amounts which is why it’s crucial in learning how to dry your wood properly. If you’re looking for an easier time you should try and dry your wood before transporting your wood.
What Type Of Wood
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone but different types of woods weigh different amounts. Depending on if you’re using a hard or softwood can affect the weight of your wood. Something like an Oak can weigh over 5000lbs and something like a Douglas Fir the weight can be around 3000lbs.
As you can see the type of wood you have can affect the weight dramatically with some times the difference being thousands of pounds. This can help with determining if a certain kind of wood is one you want to transport and possibly prevent breaking your pickup.
The Size Of The Wood
While this might be obvious, you’d be surprised at what people don’t know. The size of the logs will affect the weight fairly dramatically. This is most obvious when you change the length of wood when you have it in a face cord. With a difference of 8-inches changing a 1/3 cord to a 1/2 cord.
The size of the wood can mean more than just the length it was cut at. Wood never splits into the perfect shape and is often misshaped which can affect the overall weight. While not the most drastic weight difference it will all add up.
Why Does The Weight Of A Cord Of Wood Matter?
This is something that I noticed a lot of people don’t actually consider and don’t realize how important the weight of a cord of wood actually matters. So I believe informing people on just how important this information is and why it’s important is crucial which is why I felt obligated to put this section here.
There are a number of reasons why this is important and often one of the things that you should consider first. Why learning the weight of a cord of wood won’t be something that will change your splitting experience and can help you in not getting ripped off or damaging something that can cost thousands to fix.
Best Way To Protect Your Vehicle
A lot of us move our wood with our trucks or by using a trailer so we will mostly be okay in most cases. But I’ve heard plenty of stories of people overfilling their vehicles and causing major damage to it which ends up costing thousands to repair and insurance won’t cover you.
Learning how much a cord of wood weighs and knowing just what your vehicle is able to carry will help protect your truck. So for many of us, it’s important to know how much it weighs since our vehicles are usually the thing that is helping us make money, and losing it will leave us in a bad situation.
The Second Reason Will Save You Money
In this day and age, there are a lot of companies and people out there trying to rip their customers off just to make a quick buck. Often tricking people into thinking they’ve bought a full cord of wood when they really haven’t.
The main reason I think it’s important to know the weight of a cord of wood is that a lot of places will claim it’s a certain type of wood when it’s a different type. Your average person can’t tell the difference between wood so easily and it’s an easy way to trick someone.
Wood has a number of different factors to its weight and the type of wood it is can drastically affect it. So the weight of the cord can help tell you if they have actually given you the wood you were after.
This is one reason why I think knowing how much a cord of weighs can help save you money. This can be very situational as it’s not always possible to weigh the cord before purchasing, but if the option is there it’s something I would highly recommend.
My Final Thoughts
I’m frustrated I can’t just give you the answer for how much a cord of wood weighs, but there isn’t a lot you can do about it. There are so many variables that make it next to impossible to know for sure.
One thing I would always remember is to not try and load too much into what you’ll be transporting your wood in. It’s better to do it with multiple trips and protect your pickup or trailer than trying to do it in one trip and wrecking your truck.
So hopefully the estimations I have done will help you in your endeavor in determining how many trips you will need to do. Or if this was just a simple curiosity of yours, hopefully, I was able to help you.
